In an address to a Danish Parliamentary hearing on how to safeguard fundamental rights in the EU, FRA’s Director, Morten Kjaerum, said that the EU and its Member States could be more focused and proactive in the use of the tools at their disposal. He was speaking at a hearing of the Danish Parliament’s European Affairs Committee that took place on 12 March in Copenhagen. The debate questioned whether the fundamental values of the EU are under pressure and asked what the EU could do.

The Director acknowledged the fundamental rights challenges that exist in Europe today, such as the ongoing discussions over the right to privacy and data protection, threats to social and economic rights, the rise of extremism and populism, the sense of anxiety felt by ethnic and sexual minorities across the EU, and the erosion of the rule of law in some Member States. But he stressed the need to similarly acknowledge the many fundamental rights achievements that have been made by the EU and Member States over the past decades. Here he mentioned examples of the legally-binding EU Charter of Fundamental Rights that underpins EU work, and action by the European Commission, the European Parliament and the Court of Justice to safeguard rights as examples.

In ensuring EU values are promoted, respected and fulfilled, he pointed to four possible avenues that would help the EU and its Member States live up to their fundamental rights commitments:

1. The promotion of fundamental rights as a horizontal issue as an integral part of everything the EU does;
2. Multi-level cooperation between the EU, national, regional and local levels so all actors work together and develop joint efforts to tackle the complex challenges Europe faces in the area of fundamental rights;
3. A greater focus on providing practical guidance to practitioners on fundamental rights issues to convert commitments on paper into concrete actions on the ground;
4. The exchange of promising practices to help pool knowledge and expertise from different Member States. FRA’s working parties on hate crime and on Roma integration bringing together Member State representatives illustrate how such exchanges could take place and the benefits they bring. For example, FRA’s Hate Crime Working Party is developing a simple reporting tool for victims to report incidents of hate crime.

The Director reminded the audience that the toolbox that the EU and Member States can use to promote and protect fundamental rights is extensive. This includes seeking advice from FRA. Further examples can be found in FRA’s latest annual report. In concluding, he said “If we were to use all these tools, we would not need to reinvent the wheel. Instead we would demonstrate beyond all doubt to the European citizens that the EU and its Member States are prepared to protect the fundamental values that are such an integral part of living in Europe.”